Forecasters use technology to track storms

Tracking hurricanes is a constantly evolving science. Every hurricane season, technology upgrades help us get a better understanding as to what's playing out in the heart of these storms.

Different methods include using a blend of data from satellites, radar, aircraft and ocean buoys.

Satellites hovering high above our heads in space are the most relied on source of information for tracking tropical systems.

Satellite data give us an up-close look at areas of lower pressure that may ultimately develop into a tropical threat.

Prior to this technology, it was extremely difficult for meteorologists to grasp where storms were forming, and more important, where the storms were heading.

The modern age has created a whole different ballgame.

Just as you see daily on weather segments, tropical satellite pictures can be "looped", showing specific storm movement over a span of several hours.

The National Hurricane Center uses this as one of the cornerstones in developing the long-range tracks issued during storm season. The two satellites we rely on at Fox 35 are the "GOES EAST" and the "GOES WEST."

"GOES" is an abbreviation for "Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites," a big name for tools that have some big jobs. The data that both satellites offer are overlapping images of the Western Hemisphere, allowing us to monitor development in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans.

Should a tropical system approach Central Florida, Fox 35's Live GUARDIAN DOPPLER RADAR is used to track the extremely heavy rainfall tropical systems generate.

Our live radar hub is located in eastern Orange County near the town of Christmas and can fire its powerful scanning beam out nearly 250 miles. Embedded within the beam is a technology that allows us to actually scan inside of approaching rain bands.

Advantages of this technology are pinpointing heavy rain amounts and damaging winds. We can also see storm rotation, which is an indicator of a possible tornado threat.

Finally, data buoys floating peacefully on the oceans offer us critical pieces of information during times of approaching storms. These buoys are anchored to the ocean floors and fire off critical information every hour via radio or satellite signals.

Information such as wave height, water temperature, wind speed and air pressure are all important nuggets of information collected when buoys encounters storms.

These observations are also part of the blending of information used in forecasting.